How to Get Back on Track With the Resolutions You've Already Broken

According to research from the University of Scranton, while about 45% of Americans make resolutions, only 8% of people are successful in achieving them. Just 8%! What’s going on for the other 92% of us?

It’s not that we don’t really want to lose weight, be more organized, or be less stressed. We just haven’t dug deep enough to understand why we have the habit in the first place and what we can do to create lasting, positive change in our behavior.

In his book The Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Charles Duhigg uses his personal struggle with his 3 o’clock cookie habit to analyze what was driving his behavior. What he discovers is that habits are actually loops of cues, routines, and rewards in our brains. And this is what he says is the real game-changer:

If you’re aware of what’s driving these nearly subconscious behaviors [and] pay attention to the things that otherwise happen at the peripheries of our consciousness...you have the ability to change any habit in your life.

Skip your next afternoon snack attack and watch Duhigg break down habits in this 15-minute video.

Good luck!

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Consider Adrian that friend who gives you advice on getting ahead at work. Having thrived in startup and Fortune 500 corporate environments, he knows what it takes to get the job done and be indispensable to your team. He currently manages mentorship programs at The New York Times and is an alum of Yale University and The New School. Say hi on LinkedIn or book a one-on-one coaching session on The Muse's Coach Connect.